Tinashe Gets Dragged By Twitter For Her Thoughts On Colorism

The singer got no love for her statements.

Tinashe has Black Twitter in an uproar due to some recent comments with The Guardian. The “2 On” singer said it is hard for Black women in the industry and she feels they always have to compete: “Recently, my cousin was with a friend of a friend, who was in high school, and she was like: ‘I’m a fan of Kehlani,’ but in a way that was like, ‘So I can’t be a fan of Tinashe, too.’ Then my friend posed the question, ‘Why not be a fan of both?’ It’s kind of like sport; people feel like they have to pick a side.” Tinashe continued, “There are hundreds of [male] rappers that all look the same, that sound the same, but if you’re a Black woman, you’re either Beyoncé or Rihanna. It’s very, very strange.”

What set Twitter off, however, were her next comments about colorism. Tinashe is biracial, with a Danish mother and a Zimbabwean father, and she discussed her struggles with this identity. “There’s colorism involved in the Black community, which is very apparent,” she said. “It’s about trying to find a balance where I’m a mixed woman, and sometimes I feel like I don’t fully fit into the Black community; they don’t fully accept me, even though I see myself as a Black woman. That disconnect is confusing sometimes. I am what I am.”

Many people thought Tinashe was blaming her recent lack of success on her mixed heritage.

Dear Tinashe,It's not a colorism issue. That fact is, we just don't see it for u sis.Sincerely,Everybody pic.twitter.com/nDuUJ8SyXB

Maybe an acknowledgement of light-skinned privilege could serve Tinashe well. What do you think of her comments? Does the singer need help working through her colorism ideas or was this just blown out of proportion? Let us know in the comments below.